The Fox & The Snake Draco Malfoy
by BeccaChanMint
Summary: Nothing much happens when you're fifteen. You've got the band, of course, but your godparents are never around and your real parents are dead and you don't know why. That's when it hits you smack in the middle of your chest- quite literally- and you're offered another chance. A chance to restart. WARNING- May contain course language
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER~ Apparently I have to do this to myself but no, I don't own anything of the Harry Potter series; all but those few characters and plot lines that will be in this story :3 UNEDITED- sorry for any grammatical mistakes..**

God, I hate newbies.

My lip curled at the arrogant, thick-headed brunette boy in front of me. I _had_ asked him nicely not to throw spitballs at me during class, and I _had_ tried to be nice when he shoved my bag away and sat in my seat on the bus.

They're so _ignorant_.

His, presumably, new friend ( who looked terrified and was sitting in front of us) was shaking his head frantically and trying to get him to move.

Smart boy.

Said New Kid refused.

Stupid boy.

Seeing a pattern?

The bus's chatter had died down and the other students were looking on curiously as I glared down at- what was his name? Oh yea; _Brandon_ \- in annoyance.

"Listen kid- you really need to learn the do's and don'ts of this place, and I'm not just talking about the girls." That earned a few collective giggles from the others. "But either you move your sorry, scrawny little butt or I'm gonna whip it seven times till Sunday and you won't sit for decades." I glowered quietly and Brandon snorted unattractively.

"No, you listen, you fat, ugly, troll ," the onlookers gasped worriedly at his words, "I'm new and I'm claiming this -!"

I didn't let him finished before I grabbed his shirt and heaved him up, tugging us nose-to-nose.

"You messed with the _wrong_ girl, Brandon." I hissed and turned my head, piercings glinting. "I don't give a damn who you are but I will not hesitate to hurt you, got it? Just ask this lot." I flicked my head towards the gang of sniggering boys up the back of the bus, all of which shut up instantly as they caught my glare. " I will kick your tiny, un-dropped balls so hard they get stuck in your throat an you _will choke to death_!"

The look on his face was priceless and I let go of him, standing tall as I watched shim scramble away.

"Everyfing all righ', Annie?" I smiled at the elderly bus driver, Charlie.

"Yea, Charlie- just being called fat, ugly and a- what was it? Ah, a troll by the new kid. Creative, In'ne?"

Charlie stiffened visibly and turned to Brandon, who instantly tried to shrink. "Ge' off mah b's." His thick Scottish accent became thicker as his voice boomed, though he was speaking at a normal tone.

Brandon tried to protest. "But how else am I-"

"Are ya _deaf_? _Ge'! Off! Mah bus_!" Charlie bellowed like a wounded bull and I settled into my chair, watching the terrified brunette scamper off like a startled rat.

See, I was like a daughter- or grand daughter, if you will- to Charlie. He and his wife Lori spent a lot of time and effort looking after me when my godparents couldn't be bothered. This happened a lot nowadays.

"No one insults mah li'l girl and ge's away wivvit." Charlie grinned toothily at his mirror as he started up the bus, chuckling heartily while the engine rumbled to life. I smiled gratefully back and put my earphones in, pulling out my phone and messaging my friends.

 **~The Sass Cat~:**

 **Yo, band prac still on with you guys?**

Momma Jinxx Xp-

Yea, Jamie & I r still ^ 4 it 3

 **~The Sass Cat~-**

 **Sickers. Jaaaack, what about you?**

 _Jackie-Chan luffs chu:_

 _Yis brew. Ur place?_

 **~The Sass Cat~**

 **Damn right. See you there.**

Turning on my music and tucking my phone back in my pocket, I shifted my body sideways and drew my knees up. I tipped my head back onto the windowsill and yawned quietly, closing my eyes against the warm sunlight as I waited for my stop.

"Yea," I grinned as I stepped off the bus, " thanks Charlie!"

I crossed the road and jumped the fence, too lazy to walk all the way around my house.

Lea, Chelcie and Jack were already waiting, leaning against my shed door with guitar cases or, in Lea's case, drum sticks in hand.

I waved and grinned but it faded as I looked around. "Where's Jamie?"

Someone spoke from behind me and I startled. "Father son trouble." I spun around at Mike's voice and scowled. Jamie and Lea were twins, but their parents split up not that long ago. Their dad took a turn for the worst and got a little messed up. My stepbrother spoke again as he looked down at his phone.

"'Parrently he'll be here any minute though. Tell Vicky I'm going to Andrew's, will ya?" I rolled my eyes at my step brother and nodded.

"Sure, but I'm making pizza for dinner."

"Cool. We're getting sushi."

I gaped at him in disbelief before huffing and turning to the shed door. I took the key from around my neck and unlocked it, throwing the old roller door wide open. Light flooded into the makeshift music room and dust motes spun in the air.

Lea and I's hand painted banner, boasting _Moment Of Impact (_ the name of our band), had fallen at one corner and she ran to fix it with a pout.

"Hey, wait up!" A familiar voice yelled as we turned to see Jamie vaulting over the fence and pelt towards us. He stumbled to a stop when he reached us and bent over, panting for breath with his hands white-knuckling his knees. As he straightened back up and pressed a hand to the stitch in his waist, I gasped and pulled my sleeve over my hand.

"Jamie, you're bleeding." I pointed out stupidly and dabbed my sleeve as gently as I could against his split lip, cleaning the blood away and frowning at the beginnings of a black eye.

Jamie softly knocked my hand away and waved me off. "I'll be fine."

Lea stomped her foot angrily. "This has to stop! Can I talk to Mum about it?" She stressed angrily.

Jamie shook his head quickly, his brown hair flopping. "I'll sort it out, I swear. Just... just don't make her worry."

"But Jamie-!"

" _Drop_ it, Lea. I said no."

Lea sighed and tugged on her blonde bangs, pulling her hair back into a ponytail restlessly.

"So... Band prac?" Chelcie prompted from behind us and Jamie gave her a lopsided grin, glad for the change of conversation. Lea nodded and threw a drum stick in the air, stumbling as she caught it again and making us laugh. The heavy tension eased a little.

"I figured out a riff for that Into The Night song, Aria." Jack called, pulling his electric guitar from its case.

"Sweet! I s'pose we should start with that one then, sound good?" I looked around as Lea started to bounce on her stool excitedly.

"Then can we do Renegade? I finally got that drum pattern right!" She whined. I laughed and nodded while Jamie passed my guitar case to me from its stand.

"Thanks, Jay-Jay." I dodged a half-hearted slap and chuckled.

"You're lucky I don't hate you, Annie." He grumble and I poked my tongue out at him, kneeling and clicking the clasps on the case open, pulling out my beautiful guitar. The red-to-black ombré paintwork glimmered familiarly and I twanged the perfectly tuned strings a few times, grinning and tossing the shoulder strap over my head an pulling my sparky purple hair out from underneath it.

I hooked it up to our dual amp with a broken screech and slid a microphone into the stand in front of me, chucking one to Jack and Jamie grabbed one himself, setting up their own guitars while Chelcie check up the sound system and tech-y stuff that I really didn't understand too well. Lea impatiently tapped the bass drum with her foot pedal.

"C'mon, Jack!" I whine impatiently as he fiddled with his guitar strings. He rolled his eye at me and struck the opening chords, spurring me into the harsh scream that introduced the song.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I drained the last of my water bottle and waved to Lea as she skipped away energetically, leaving me to pack up the shed. Jack, Jamie and Chelcie had packed off to who-knows-where.

I folded up the stands and tucked them away, turning off the mostly useless, dim lights and tugging the rusty roller door down again and turning the key.

I pulled my bag onto my shoulder and headed towards the house. Food. I need food. No, I need pizza. Pizza sound good.

Lost in my thoughts of pizza, I didn't notice the two other figures in my kitchen as I started whistling.

The whistle spiraled into a high pitched screech as I oil in the scene before me.

Jack, innocent blond little Jack, had Jamie sitting on my kitchen table, the little bastard pressed between Jamie's open legs and kissing him fiercely.

On my kitchen table.

 _WhereIwasAboutToMakePizza_.

"Oi!" I shrieked, gaping at the oblivious boys. Jack stumbled backward and Jamie nearly fell off the table.

"Shit, sorry Aria!" Jack cringed and Jamie covered his mouth and blush with his wrist, sliding to the floor and sporting awkwardly tight skinny jeans while stuttering aimlessly.

I contemplated exploding and put my hands on my hips, deciding to let it go. Not as much mess that way.

"Honestly, you two, hygiene! My pizza goes on that table!" I huffed. Jack looked astounded and Jamie's eyes bugged.

"Oh don't look so surprised. You've been making Heart-Eyes Howell at each other for weeks." I snorted.

"Uh..." Jack started." Bad timing, I know, but can we ask you a massive favor? Jamie can't go home with these." He pointed sheepishly to Jamie's hickies and I looked between his gaze and Jamie's embarrassed blush. "Wait wait, lemme guess. You guys want to stay the night, don't you?" They both nodded and I slumped.

"But... Ugh. I have to share my pizza." I started grumbling under my breath a they thanked me and shook an accusing finger at them. " If any loud sex wakes me up in the middle of the night, you're both dead!"

Jamie squeaked accidentally and I ignored it,"Now help me with this pizza!"


	2. Chapter 2

With Jack and Jamie taking up the couch (they looked so cute, curled up together like that) and the dishes done, I was left with nothing to do.

So I sat.

Slumped at the kitchen table, reading a book I'd read so many times I knew it almost off by heart and the TV playing gently in the background- it was becoming a familiar scene for me, but i ignored the strange sense of deja vu . Not much happened around here.

Someone knocked at the door and I looked up so fast I almost gave myself whiplash; not that I would've noticed anyway.

I flipped the battered book face-down and got up, stifling a groan as I ran my hand through my hair. When I reached the door, I snuck a look through the side window and saw no one, so I opened it.

"Holy-!" I flailed and fell backwards, something large, grey and feathery smacking into my chest. Jamie and Jack stampeded to the door, stopping abruptly when they saw e sitting on the floor with a seemingly unconscious Great Grey owl on my lap. I know my birds, okay?

"What the hell?" I spotted the letter attached to the owl's leg and untied it cautiously. A large, golden wax seal blazed on the back, an intricately carved coat of arms holding the letter shut.

It seemed a shame to break it, so I carefully tore the paper around it and lifted a slightly yellowed, thick piece of paper from the fancy envelope.

Jamie picked up the owl gently and cradled it while I was distracted- the (again) gold, swooping lettering were incredibly neat and looked handwritten with care, ink and an old-fashioned quill of some sort.

 _Dear Miss Aria North of Winston Hills, It read._

 _( I'm terribly sorry if the arrival of this owl, Archeon, didn't interrupt anything important.)_

 _It has come to my attention that all previous letters that we have sent to you were sent back, and I believe none of them were seen personally by you- only your godparents, Eugenio and Victoria Simmons._

 _I've forgotten to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. This letter is an informal invitation to attend this school._

 _Because you have been raised as a Muggle- a wizard term for non magical humans- you may believe this is a joke. On the contrary, I am not much of a prankster, I assure you._

 _To prove this, there should be a package arriving any moment now-_

I looked up and squinted through the door, raising an eyebrow. As I looked, a black and white shape became prominent and tumbled through the door.

"Another one?" Jack gaped. This one was much different. The beautiful bird of prey glided through the doorway peacefully, tucking it's wings in as to not hit the sides it flew straight through the hallway and stretched it claws out to land on the lounge arm, recoiling slightly and wobbling, so it stuck his wings out for balance.

"That's a..." Jamie squinted. "Black-breasted kite, yea?" He look to me for conformation and I nodded in awe. The bird ruffled its feathers proudly and jumped off the couch, landing with a small scuffle on the carpeted floor and stalking towards us. If cocked its head sideways at Archeon and observed us offhandedly. I like this bird- it had sass.

It dropped the parcel it was carrying in front of me and stepped back, watching me carefully. A messily-scrawled word- a large contrast to the letter- was scribbled in the corner, ad I had to squint to read it.

"Aries?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at the kite. "Is that you?"

The bird skipped forwards and cocked his head, seemingly indicating yes. I grinned.

"That's my star sign. Fits you."

Aries took a little bow and I started to carefully unwrap the parcel as he turned his sharp gaze to Jack and Jamie.

My hand touched silky fabric and I pulled my hand back in surprise. It was almost a mercury silver, yet oddly transparent. I pulled the cloth out and stood up, holding it out to the side and inspecting it.

I opened it and, realizing it was a cloak, swung it over my shoulders.

Jamie screamed and fell backwards, his eyes wide in- terror?

Jack clamped a hand over Jamie's mouth and stuttered in amazement. "I-I-I w-we can't see most of you!" He blubbered.

I looked down and indeed, the majority of my body had disappeared. I tugged the cloak off hurriedly and my legs and torso appeared again.

I stared wide-eyed at the boys and Aries. "Bloody hell."

"This- that's gotta be some elaborate hoax." Jamie uttered the most cliche words he could think of and passed the forgotten letter to me, so I continued reading out loud.

" _To prove this, there should be another package arriving any moment now._

 _"This is an Invisibility cloak- a fairly rare but exquisite piece of wizarding material. It belonged to your mother before you. I believe this is enough to convince that your current world is not the only one._

 _Hogwarts is in Scotland- if you are to attend here, please send a letter back with Archeon. If you are unfamiliar with owling, which you undoubtedly are, simply tie a letter to the pouch on Archeon's leg and send her on her way._

 _You may need to consult with your godparents about this- they will most likely deny knowing anything, but they too attended Hogwarts, as with your parents._

 _Yours sincerely, Albus Dumbledore._

"Then there's a crap load of signatures." My chest was constricting slightly and I looked at the phone. "I think I have a Phone call to make."

Jack looked up worriedly. "This is all a bit too weird." He muttered shakily. Jamie seemed just as disgruntled but occupied himself with the owl. Aries was still standing in the same place, watching everything curiously.

"And then I'll see what all of this is about. Then I'll write back. Sounds good? Sounds good. Good. Ugh!" I was more talking to myself then anyone else as I picked up the phone.

Why am I so nervous? "Let's do this." I dialed my godparent's number and waited for them to pick up.


	3. Chapter 3

"Vicky?"

"Hi! Look, I'm really sorry but I'm terribly busy right now-"

"Vicky, listen to me-"

"Do not interrupt me! I-"

"Dumbledore."

I held the phone away from my ear and I heard a loud clatter as Vicky dropped her phone and started screeching for Leo. A few rustles burst through the phone's speakers and she called my name in a low voice.

"Aria, what do you mean, Dumbledore?"

"So you know who he is then?"

"Answer me."

"Answer _me_!"

Vicky sighed and, by the sounds of it, thrust the phone at Leo as I heard him stumble over his protest. "You talk to her. I'm not dealing with this!" I heard her angry, muffled yell and scowled. I never liked her- one of the positives of not having her around. I didn't mind Leo so much, but they weren't Eugenio and Emma. My real parents.

"Aria?" Leo spoke softly.

"Hiya, Leo." MY voice was just as quiet as I hoisted myself onto the bench and hunched over.

He kept his voice down, and I heard a crash in the background and cringed. " Why do you know Dumbledore?"

"I thought this was just some boofhead's prank and called you guys- I didn't think it was real. An owl just crashed through my doorway and this Dumbledore guy had written a letter. He said another parcel should arrive and now there's a kite called Aries in the middle of the kitchen, and gave me an- what did he call it? Uh... Oh! An Invisibility Cloak." I explained quickly.

Leo drew in a sharp breath. "I'm coming home. Vicky will stay here-" Vicky earsplittingly screamed something and Leo cursed. "Hell. I'm on my way. Don't let Aries or Archeon leave!"

"How the hell did you know it was Archeon?"

"Because Ennie, Archeon's travel mate, arrived here telling me Dumbledore was contacting you. I've got to go!" Another crash sounded and he hung up.

Jamie appeared at my side. "Is everything okay?"

I looked at the sink mirror and realized my face was bleach white. "Y-yea. Leo's coming home. This isn't a prank and he knows what's going on, but Vicky's going mad again."

Jack spoke up from behind us. "uh, the owl's trying to leave. "I spun around. "Don't let her!"

Jack finally realized that the door was open and closed it quickly, cutting off Archeon's escape route.

"Sorry, little one." I apologized to the owl as she hooted reproachfully. "Leo wants you to stay here till he gets back." Archeon shut up after that.

I picked the Cloak up from the table, laying it over my hand and watching in amazement as my hand disappeared completely. When I held it out in front of me, I could see straight through it despite the shimmering silver fabric. "This is amazing." I breathed.

I hunched over again. "Leo should be here in about an hour. What am I gonna do with this lot till then?" I gestured at the preening owl and Aries, who didn't look like he wanted to leave anytime soon anyway.

"Well..." Jack started.

"We could always eat more food?" Jamie finished sheepishly.

"Oh alright." I jumped down and flung the cupboard door open. "Feast!"

"Leo!" I heaved the door open and hugged him.

"Hey kid." I let go and he closed the door behind him. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yea, just... confused, is all."

He nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. Hello, Jack, Jamie." He smiled pleasantly and the two boys waved, burying their faces back in their ice cream.

"Where's Archeon and the other one?" A hoot came from the lounge room and Leo perked up, striding towards it with his long legs.

"Uh, yea, in there." I chuckled, following him.

Archeon gave a delighted screech and flapped her wings, staying on the coffee table as Leo knelt beside her and stroked her head. "I haven't seen you for a long while, have I?" He murmured.

Archeon dipped her head a few times and nipped his finger gently, and I leant on the doorway. Aries had made himself comfortable on the dresser and Leo looked up.

"Wow." He breathed. "That is one magnificent bird." Aries let out a proud cry and Leo grinned as Aries bowed his head.

"Spoken like a true Hippogriff, Aries." Leo laughed and ran a finger down Aries' head and neck then stepped away.

I raised an eyebrow. "Hippogriff? As in Griffon?" Leo nodded.

"Yep. Awesome beasts, they are." He looked at my disbelieving expression and ran a hand through his hair. "I believe I have some explaining to do."

Jack and Jamie headed upstairs. "I have a feeling we don't need to hear this." Leo smiled gratefully as Jack lead his boyfriend away.

"Can I see the letter and the cloak?" I nodded and retrieved them from the kitchen, putting them beside Archeon on the coffee table.

"I haven't seen one of these in years." Leo smiled ruefully and I sat down beside him, watching him run his fingers over the soft material. He picked up the letter and skimmed over it.

"Well ..." He started.

"Nothing in this is a lie. Professor Dumbledore is one of the most well-respected wizards there and quite frankly he deserves it. To go to all this trouble to chase after one girl...

"Anyway, Hogwarts and wizardry and spells and potions- they're all real. Vicky and I both went there once. " His eyes grew troubled.

"Vicky- Vicky pulled away from the wizarding world and immersed herself in the Muggle side of things. "

I got the feeling he wasn't telling me the whole truth but I didn't pry.

"There's only so much I can tell you, and little more I can show you. You'll jut have to trust me- or maybe ..."

"Maybe?" I prompted. He looked up, a familiar expression of determination settled on his weathered face.

"Maybe you'll just have to see for yourself."

I gaped at him. "Didn't you say this whole thing was in England or something? Don't forget we're in Australia- literally on the other side of the world." I deadpanned, pointing out what should really be painfully obvious.

Leo rolled his hazel eyes. "I know that, dummy." A flash of embarrassment ran over his expression. "Hell, but I can't Apparate with you. That wouldn't en well. You sort of have a point there."

The conversation fell into a brooding lull, the faint sound of rain starting to hit the eastern windows. The darkness from outside leaked discreetly into the room, letting itself be known as the fluorescent lights fought it back.

"So," I started curiously, "tell me about this wonderful wizarding world of yours."


	4. Chapter 4

Leo glanced at me from his comfortable-looking stance on the couch.

"That's ... probably enough for one night, Annie."

My head shot up again and I shook it vigorously. "No, no, please tell me more!" My expression dropped when he shook his head stubbornly.

"It's so much to take in in one night, not to mention it's almost midnight." He waved his wrist, the watch face catching the light and flashing.

"It's a Friday, though." I protested half-heartedly, knowing I was fighting a losing battle.

"That doesn't mean anything." Leo helped me off the floor. "You know how I feel about sleep ins, not to mention we have to face Victoria's wrath at some point. " His eyes hardened as he said her name and I stared at him for a moment too long.

"Alright." I muttered eventually. He hugged me. "But you tell me more in the morning!"

"Wait, you still have to write to Professor Dumbledore!"

"Technically, he's not your professor anymore."

"Shush. If you leave it any later, your writing will be worse than coherent. Not to mention Archie should get back to him soon." Archeon hooted softly in agreement and I glanced at the two birds. "What about Aries?"

The kite fixed a lukewarm stare at me with his head tilted sideways.

"Something tells me he's not leaving anytime soon." Leo smiled and ruffled my hair likes five year old, sending me off to find a piece of paper- or parchment if you will- and a pen.

I returned with both and slumped at the coffee table, pen poised in my hand and an eyebrow raised as I waited for Leo to speak.

"Oh no, you'll be writing this entirely on your own. I need coffee." With that, the unhelpful man left for the kitchen.

The rain slowly got louder and I cringed at the thunder rumbling towards us. I never did like thunder much.

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

I paused and glanced helplessly at Leo. Was I supposed to be formal with this professor guy or what?

"Oh come on, Annie. You're good with a pen, write whatever comes out of it!" Leo shrugged at my less-than-enthusiastic glare.

 _Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _As unclear and confused about this as I am, I've decided to give this a try- thanks to Leo. He and his adventures intrigued me; he's an avidly enthusiastic story teller, I can say that much._

 _This Hogwarts is in Scotland, correct? If I_ do _go, it's going to be difficult to get to you, even if what Leo said about the Express in London and such is true. That's still the other side of the world._

 _Leo ( he's going to pop up frequently, as he's my only source of wizard-y info) also mentioned something about it being almost the end of the fourth year for my age group and needing tutors for the year to help me catch up, even mentioning pen pals- I suspect he's right, seeing as I only found wizards and witches existed today, about two hours ago. I'm a fast learner though, so I should be alright._

 _I have a feeling you're an important person and important people are usually quite busy, so this is where I bid my farewell. I'll send this with Archeon when the storm ends, but Aries doesn't seem to want to leave._

 _Kindest Regards,_

 _Aria North_

 _P.S Thank you so much for the cloak; it means a lot to me that you would go to such lengths to find any of my parents' possessions and it's incredibly beautiful. Thank you_.

I folded the letter up and Archeon landed back on the table, skidding and chittering excitedly.

"Patience, honey. You can go with the storm's over." I chuckled. She nipped at my finger angrily and I scowled. Leo laughed.

"It's probable that there's a charm on her to stop her or the letter getting wet during the flight, so I think she wants to get back to the Owlery as soon as possible." He explained.

Archeon stuck her leg out and I laughed, tying the letter to the leather straps quickly. Leo walked over to the door and threw it open, smiling softly as the Great Grey owl flew away and closing it gently behind her.

"I hope she'll be alright." I frowned slightly and Leo checked his watch.

"There's been enough excitement for today, you should go up and get some sleep. I'll fire-call Dumbledore later on for you."

I let out a small whine of protest. "But I wanna see this fire-calling stuff myself!"

"You will eventually- but it's almost ten o'clock and you look like crap. Go to bed." I scowled at his blunt words and walked over to him "Fine, but I get a hug in return."

Leo bent down slightly and hugged me, pressing my face in to his warm chest.

"This is all so confusing." My voice was muffled by his shirt and he rubbed his thumb in small circles on my back.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. I just wish it was Emma and Eugene in this position, not me. That's not fair on you. " He sounded like he was about to cry and I pulled back.

"Well that's not your fault, nor mine! There's nothing we can do about it." I wasn't sure if I was talking about the situation or the fact that my parents were gone and we wouldn't get them back, and Leo looked like he didn't either. The wind howled around the house as we stood in silence for a few moments.

"I know. Goodnight, Annie. Sweet dreams. " He murmured as I turned and headed to my bedroom, listening to Jamie's soft snores as I walked past the room the two boys were fast asleep in. I paused and peeked through the doorway, smiling as I saw Jack spooning Jamie in the soft moonlight peering through the crack in the curtains. Those two would sleep through a stampede of elephants- they didn't even seemed perturbed by the wind and the hammering rain.

Reaching my room, I took three lunging steps and collapsed face-first on my bed, biting my lip and squeezing my eyes shut. Leo was right- it should be Mum and Dad here; but Leo was the only family I had left. Excluding Mike, of course, but technically he was only my step brother. Vicky certainly didn't count, that foul-mouthed cow.

I slowly got back up again to wash my face and take out my piercings- my three lip rings, my septum and my industrial bar. The four in my lobes would be fine.

I set them back in their boxes and unclipped my mother's necklace, staring at it forlornly. The tiny opal dragon set in its black gold frame sparkled optimistically back at me, the bathroom light catching on the colours and making the prominent greens and oranges tiny flashes of purple made me smile softly and I rested the necklace on its stand gently. I refused to sleep in it for the fear it would break, and I would be devastated.

I peeled the hairband from my ponytail and shook my head, my gleaming purple hair cascading gently over my shoulders. My tired green eyes stared dully back at me in my mirror, making me realize just how tired I really was.

"Goodnight, Leo!" I called as I slipped my pajama bottoms on and switched the light off, sliding under my bed covers. I heard him call back faintly and closed my eyes.

Not long afterwards, footsteps echoed down the hallway and he stepped into my room, trying to be quiet, I heard the rustle of soft fabric and realized I'd forgotten about the Cloak.

"Leo?" I caught his wrist as he was about to turn and leave and he startled, huffing. "I thought you were asleep." He complained quietly, avoiding my eyes.

"Remember what I said, Leo. There's nothing we can do to change what happened." I ignored him.

"I know, honey, I just ... I feel so guilty. You're so strong and you're coping with this so much better than I and even though it's been five years, I can't get it out of my head. I should be the strong one, helping you, but instead it's reversed and I feel so horrible for not being there for you, with Vicky dragging me all over the place and leaving you and Mike to your own devices." He looked miserable.

"Leo, You're doing fine. It's hurts more than you know, but we'll both get through it. We won't forget, but we'll move on. I promise. " My voice cracked and he knelt beside my bed, kissing my forehead gently. Like a father should. Like Leo.

"I swear it'll get better." My voice strained slightly and he shook his head.

"I know it will, but it doesn't feel like it. " He looked up and gave me an uncertain smile. "We both need sleep. I'll contact Dumbledore tomorrow instead. Do you want me to leave the pills out for you?"

Oh. My antidepressants and the sleeping pills. Of course. "Thank you Leo. I don't think I'll need them, though."

"Better safe than sorry. " He ran his thumb over my forehead like he would a small child and stood up, pausing in the doorway.

"Good night, Aria."

My voice barely rose above a whisper. "Good night."


	5. Chapter 5

I followed the sound of Leo's voice to the lounge room after getting dressed, sliding my lip piercing through the tiny hole in my flesh and clipping it up. I saw Leo kneeling on the floor in front of the fireplace, talking. I raised an eyebrow and headed towards him.

There was a head in the fire.

I clamped in a shriek of surprised and nearly dropped the other two piercings, fumbling and catching them before they hit the ground. Leo looked up quickly and snorted.

"Professor McgGonagall-"

"For the last time, Leonardo, it's Minerva to you now. I'm no longer your professor." The head protested stiffly.

"Fine! As I was saying, Minerva, this is is Aria." Leo waved a hand at me and I hurriedly put in my other two piercings, kneeling beside him awkwardly.

"Aria, this is Professor Minerva McGonagall, the House Head of Gryffindor."

"That's the courageous or brave one, right?" I frowned and McGonagall nodded, the ashes and coal moving weirdly as she spoke.

"Correct. It's a pleasure to meet you after so much time searching. You're certainly an elusive one."

"Not by choice." I said impulsively, then cringed. "Sorry, Professor, that was rude."

"Not at all, not at all. And, seeing as I'm not technically your professor yet you can call me Minerva as well if you like."

"Seems too informal." I chuckled. " I'll stick to Professor."

"As you will. Now, Leonardo, what were we saying?"

"We were going to try and sort out our little tutoring situation and maybe get one or two current fourth year students to write back and forth to Aria?"

I rocked on my heels awkwardly as I listened in on their lukewarm conversation before getting up and watching a large blue butterfly stumble past on tipsy wings. Butterflies always seemed drunk. Leo glanced at me and not long afterwards, he and McGonagall bid their farewells.

"So, what's happening?" I asked, turning to him and he stood up and stretched, the professor's face disappearing from the fireplace.

"We were discussing your tutors and 'penpals' and such. We were thinking that we could have one from Gryffindor, and one from Slytherin because house rivalry and all. They'll probably end up being two of your tutors as well. " He informed me, slumping onto the lounge.

"Who are they? What are they like?" I cocked my head to the side with interest.

"They themselves writing to you. Your DADA- Defense Against the Dark Arts- and Charms tutors are already being set, but you're choosing out of a few people's profiles for Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration. I'd help you with the last one but I've never Transfigured so much as a teabag." He grinned lopsidedly and I laughed.

It was only as Leo and I were scoffing steak and chips that the first owl arrived through the open kitchen window. The eagle owl glided straight to us and landed on the arm of the couch chair I was sitting in, giving a low _scree_ and dropping the the letter beside me. It barely missed my plate and I set my dinner on the table, glaring at the owl as the greedy thing eyed it hungrily.

"Hey, Leo, another letter." I yawned and waved it at him.

"Nice." He said noncommittally. "Where's it from?"

I flipped the shiny envelope over, looking at the address on the back. "Malfoy Manor." I read out. Leo seemed to stiffen slightly but he nodded and kept his eyes on the TV.

This time, the letter seemed to sing with importance and expense, the green-tinted cream paper gleaming neatly. There wasn't a crinkle or tear in sight, not even on the letter when I opened it. Words shone darkly in emerald green ink, again done in the distinct font of a quill and ink. The writing wasn't quite as swooping as Dumbledore's had been, but it was incredibly neat nonetheless.

 _Miss Aria North_

 _Hello. Professor Snape, the Head of Slytherin and the Hogwarts' Potions Master has informed me of you current situation, of sorts. He explained that Professor McGonagall has finally located your magical signature and says you may be attending Hogwarts next year. As you have only been living in a Muggle state of mind, it may be difficult for you to understand well; this has come to the decision of you being tutored._

 _I am, if I do say so myself, quite exceptional at Potions, but this may be due to the fact that everybody else- except, unfortunately, Hermione Granger- is terrible. Never mind that, I've forgotten to introduce myself._

 _I am Draco Lucius Malfoy, descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and of course I am in the Slytherin house at Hogwarts. If you are not as smart as I've been told, Salazar founded Slytherin._

 _I doubt you have been revealed much about Hogwarts. There are four Houses:_

 _Hufflepuff values, above all else, justice, loyalty and perseverance_

 _Ravenclaw- Intelligence, knowledge and wit_

 _Gryffindor- bravery, daring, nerve, chivalry and if you're in Slytherin, stupidity._

 _Slytherin- ambition, cunning and ambition, and me._

 _Call me bias if you will, but it is entirely true._

 _I was told to reveal things about myself, but in truth, I'm not too interesting. I may be the hottest piece of eye-candy you ever lay eyes on, but many people don't seem to like me. Perhaps that is because of my father, Lucius Malfoy. He is a powerful person in the Ministry Of Magic_

I started to laugh. "He certainly isn't modest, I can tell that much!"

I _have included a photo of myself- firstly, don't question with yourself about the lack of a smile, and secondly, it moves. Don't have a cardiac arrest._

 _Best wishes to you, Aria Regal North_

 _Draco Malfoy_

 _PS. There's a potion we develop the photos in to make them move. All wizards do. It's normal for us, but don't be too surprised if I disappear from the frame every now and then. Also, you intrigue me so I expect a photo back._

I frowned and picked the envelope up again, opening it up and looking it. I cursed myself for not noticing it the first time and pulled out a dual photo.

The first had a family of rather pale people. I assume the tall, long-haired blond looking down over his nose at the camera was Lucius, and the proud-looking boy was Draco himself. There was a lady in the photo that I assumed was the mother, as he hadn't mentioned anything about siblings.

The second was of just Draco himself. His blond hair was slightly longer there, but still as neat and perfect as the robes he was wearing. A little green emblem adorned the material where a coat pocket would sit and I assumed it was his Hogwarts robes that Leo had spoken about. His surprisingly cold grey eyes stared forlornly back at me, and I startled as his hand reached up to brush the hair away from his eyes.

I reached forwards and touched the photo with one finger, chuckling quietly as he shied away from it and threw me a disgusted look before returning to his original position. His scowl softened slightly. I slid the photo back into the envelope.

A soft snore echoed from beside me and I realized Leo had fallen asleep. Getting up, I stretched and headed to my room. Jack and Jamie had left long ago, not bothering to clear up after themselves. I'd have to yell at them for that.

I pulled my notebook out from a drawer and slumped at my desk, casting the letter down beside my hand and picking up a pen. This should be amusing. Where on earth was I going to find a photo to compare to that?

 _Mister Draco Malfoy_

 _Hi! I don't see a need to be so formal, but what should I call you? Draco? I incredibly tempted to address you as Dray-Dray but I fear that may terminate any chance of us being friends. I am indeed, Aria. but my friends call me Annie. Feel free to name me by whatever you choose from the two._

 _If that's okay with you._

 _It might be nice to have a friend that isn't terrified of of you or a is band member- I_ scribbled that line out hurriedly.

 _I figured McGonagall would tell the other professors. How many of them are there, anyway? I hope I don't have to make too many decisions on this whole tutoring thing, I hate learning but I hate decisions even more._

 _You seem incredibly modest...? That's a lie, but at least I don't have to deal with yet another self-conscious twit. I deal with enough of them already._

 _Doesn't 'Draco' mean dragon in Latin or something? That's pretty cool. My name seems a little boring now- and how did you find out my middle name, anyway? (It's pretty stupid, I know. Who name's their kid 'Regal'?)_

 _I reckon I'd fit into Ravenclaw or Slytherin. What do you think?_

 _You're bias._

 _I hope you're not this formal in every letter, I can't stand uptight people. Let loose a little- or if you were trying to make a first impression, I find them pretty easy to change. I hope you've got a sense of humor._

 _I was told to say a little bit about myself as well- as you said, I'm not all that interesting either._

 _1.) My hair and eyes change color- my eyes change all the time, but they seem to like green. My hair's currently purple, but I can change that at will. I never really have because I thought I was a freak. Still do._

 _2.) I terrify people. A lot. maybe that's because anybody who annoys me gets a particularly gory death threat? Or maybe it's the piercings and the music._

 _3.) Don't expect me to flounce into Hogwarts wearing a pink short skirt and crop top- I'm more of a leather jacket, skinny jeans and combat boots kind of girl._

 _4.) I've got 3 lip piercings and a a nose piercing- you'll_ _see them in the photo_.

 _That is, if I find one that compares to your eye-candy._

 _(note the sarcasm)_

 _5.) I wouldn't still be standing here if it weren't for music. As in, not that I'm suicidal or anything, I just wouldn't live without it. Can you bring technology into Hogwarts or what? And I so hope there's a music department. I need to keep playing instruments- I sing well enough, but I have to back it up with my guitar and piano and such. Do you play anything other than girls? (I'm kidding- but I am curious)_

 _6.) I honestly can't think of anything else. You'll have to meet me for an okay first impression, just please don't pop up in my fireplace or something. McGonagall did enough of that this morning._

 _Well, I think that's it. I'll enclose a photo or two in the envelope if I find any worthy of your presence. I like your eagle owl- what's his name? I don't think he likes me much. Ah, His loss._

 _P.S what does P.S even mean? and also, I like circles. Circles are nice._

 _In inceptum est finis_.

I added my favorite Latin quote to the end and folded it up, sitting it aside and fetching my phone. I figured I had some okay photos on there, but suddenly none of them were good enough to send so I picked one that had both Mike and I in it. Mike had taken me down to a lake near my old house- the lake was massive and surrounded on all sides by tall, dark trees. The was a tiny beach in front. Leo followed us. It was a little after I met Mike, which was only last year as he'd been abroad until then. I looked practically the same between now and then, so I printed out that photo and tucked in into the envelope.

Walking back out to the lounge room, where Draco's owl was still waiting. It snapped at me as I tied the letter to its leg, but I didn't so much as flinch and it stopped trying and pushed its head into my hand. I gently pat it and gave him one of the owl treats Leo had pulled out earlier. It swallowed it greedily and took off.

"What's going on?" Leo yawned sleepily and I chuckled. " I was about to finished my dinner- hey! My chips are gone!"

 _Bloody owl!_


	6. Chapter 6

After a while, a steadily growing pile of letters was gathering on my desk. Hermione seemed pretty nice, even with the whole I Know Everything About Anything and I'm I Know Nothing About Everything.

Draco had taken to calling me Annie, and he seemed to like reliving stories from the Slytherin common room, which was the dungeons under the lake. Sounds pretty gloomy.

Aries, the black-breasted kite, wanted to stick around. The beautiful bird went out for food, but he came back every night and I used him to send a letter to Professor Dumbledore once about arrangements to go to London.

It was official- I would attend Hogwarts.

It was almost the end of the year, and my friends- Lea, Jack, Jamie and Chelcie- all thought I was going abroad for a while. The band was slowly falling apart beforehand, but that was the last straw before Chelcie burst and said she was leaving. We all drifted apart after that, but Lea was still a great friend of mine while Jack and Jamie were still in contact.

Dumbledore had organised tickets and everything for Leo and I to leave; with the help of some Muggle-obsessed wizards and a Squib or two. Leo had tried to explain to me what a Squib was in a few less words, but the concept still confused me.

I was slowly getting used to the idea of wizards and witches living in harmony- sometimes- with Muggles. Hermione, seeing as she had lived with Muggle parents until she got started Hogwarts, was great at explaining wizarding concepts to me. I refrained from mentioning Slytherin or Draco to her in letters as it seemed to put her in a slightly sour mood.

I hadn't heard a word from Vicky ever since I called her, but I'd heard Leo participate in quite a few heated phone calls. He refused to speak to me after them all so I stopped asking after a few attempts. I was causing troubld between the two.

Draco and I exchanged family problems quite often, but sometimes he was a little vague. I chose not to question it and he did the same for me. He frequently mentioned that he couldn't decide between wanting to go to Hogwarts as soon as possible to meet me and not going at all for different reasons, and some of those reason seemed to revolve around Harry Potter; I'd taken that question to Hermione.

She explained to me the existence of He Who Should Not Be Named- or the Dark Lord (that made me think of Darth Vader from Star Wars), You Know Who, or Lord Voldemort (he seems conceited)- and how Harry Potter became The Boy Who Lived, and was also, coincidentally, her best friend along with Ron Weasley. In the letter after that, she was complaining of Fred and George Weasley, Ron's older twin brothers. I felt like I'd get along with them easily, being a prankster myself. I didn't get many chances to cause troubled hilarity at my old school. Funny how things work out.

A letter to Professor Dumbledore lead to the conclusion of my very own music room being created, and even my electronics being allowed. He got someone to set up my own _Wifi modem_ simply so I could have Internet access. I was very, _very_ pleased about that, but I freaked out over the fact that I wouldn't have to neglect my music.

Draco had piqued my curiosity on a wizarding game called Quidditch - it was played on _brooms!_ \- and had ended up sending me the only Quidditch book he had so I could read it. He'd gotten a little defensive when I thanked him profusely in my reply and had told me to rack off to Hermione Granger or 'Harry bloody Potter' if I wanted more. It was quite funny, actually, and a letter arrived barely ten minutes after to apologize.

To my amazement, it turns out he had never had popping candy before and I freaked out, running down to the shops and buying a few packets to send to him with Elye, his eagle owl. He hadn't shut up about it in the next letter, and that's how I discovered his massive sweet-tooth. That's how he discovered it, too.

 _Dear Draco,_  
 _Question: Ae you a huggable person? Because, quite frankly, I don't want to make things awkward when I meet you because there will be no doubt about you getting a massive hug when we meet. I , for one, love hugs with a passion . They're so warm and cuddly and... huggy._

 _Yours Truly,_  
 _Aria_  
 _In inceptum es finis_

 _Dear Aria_  
 _Should I be ashamed to say that I've never really hugged anyone apart from my mother? But even then, that's a once in a lifetime thing. If you must, I suppose. Feel free, as you would say._

 _Yours Sincerely_  
 _Draco_  
 _Horas non numero nisi serenas_

The letters may be short, but the amount of them definitely made up for that. Turns out Draco likes Latin almost as much as I do, so we always put a Latin sentence at the end of our letters for each other to figure out and if we don't get it, we get a chaste explanation .

My letters grew more and more excitable and Hermione often had to cut me down a level in her reply with a short, sharp retort, and Draco often passed it off with a half-hearted insult. I couldn't make up my mind about the sort of person he was- sometimes he was unsure, vulnerable even, then he was a good-humoured and easygoing, but then he was bordering on rude and self-centered. Hermione often spoke of his rude, insulting side when she explained to me what a Mudblood was and I brought it up in my next letter to Malfoy Manor; he didn't even acknowledge it.

The year was rolling by on worn-down wheels, seeming to go slower and slower each day as I anticipated the next year more and more. Christmas was hardly two weeks away and it was on New Years Day that we would get our tickets to London, and go to the famed Diagon Alley that Leo and Hermione always spoke of. I had a feeling that Aries wouldn't be far behind. 

**A/N**

 **If anyone wants to know what the Latin phrases are, just message me c:- if I get more than a couple, though, I'll probably post a mini guide elsewhere for you all~**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**  
 **Sorry for skipping straight to this but I figured I'd dragged it out a little too long 3**

I clung to Leo's hand as the plane engine rumbled to life. To be perfectly honest, I was terrified. I'd never been a fan of heights, and now I was flying to London.  
Leo chuckled and I glared at him.  
"You suck." I growled.  
"You swallow." He retorted.  
I gaped at im. "You choke!"  
"You gag."  
"You moan."  
"You scream."  
"You're disgusting."  
"You're off the ground."  
"You- _oh_ my God, we are."  
I stared out of the small, round window as the plane levelled out. Leo laughed as he ruffled my hair.  
"You're so immature." I shook my head and grinned.  
"I know. It's great. You should try and sleep some of the way, it's a long trip."  
"Yea, good luck with that. I'm not sleeping anytime soon."  
I was asleep within the next hour.

"Annie. Annie, wake _up_."  
Leo shook my shoulder roughly and I groaned. "What is it this time? If it's food again, I will hit you."  
"No, we're preparing to land."  
That woke me up.  
I wriggled back into a comfortable position and yawned, rubbing my eyes.  
I had slept surprisingly well for a first-timer. My mind was still a little fuzzy with tiredness as the plane started its descent and Leo clipped my seatbelt up for my currently incompetent self.  
It was another fifteen minutes before the wheels hit the runway painfully slowly. I tried not to look out of the window.  
Butterflies erupted in my stomach and I bounced my leg up and down excitedly. Leo's grin distracted me and the robotic male voice crackled over the intercom.  
" _Please exit the plane in an orderly fashion. Do not leave your passenger luggage behind. Thank you for flying with LyreByrd Airlines_."  
There was a clamour of retracting seat belts and excited chatter as everyone stood up, stretching and groaning and whatnot. Leo and I shuffled out from our seats and grabbed our laptop bags from the compartment above our heads, pulling them down and stepping into the line of people filing out of the massive aircraft.  
The airport was enormous- almost twice the size of the one back home. Leo's hand found mine and I clutched it nervously.  
"Lose me and you'll never walk again." I growled and the tall man smiled reassuringly.  
"Don't worry, Aria, I don't plan on it."  
I eyed him nervously. We scanned our tickets at the mechanical gates.  
Carefully staying close to Leo's side, we made our way towards the unloading luggage belt and startled when his phone rang.  
 _"Somebody told me that you had a boyfriend that looked like a girlfri_ -"  
"Hello?" Leo hastily answered while I snorted at his ringtone.  
"Where are you?" I could hear Vicky's enraged shriek myself and Leo made a quirky face at me.  
"Uh. In London."  
Vicky was silent for a moment and Leo bit his lip awkwardly, holding the phone away.  
"Why... Are you... In _London_...?" She seethed slowly.  
"Because in order to get to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, you need to be in _Britain_ , Victoria!" Leo snapped and ended the call. HIs eyes widened and he stared at the phone uncomprehendingly.  
"Temper, temper!" I teased nudging his waist with my elbow. He gave me an uneasy chuckle and pointed.  
"They your bags?"  
"Yep!" My face lit up and I dashed over, hauling them off the belt. Not long afterwards, Leo's seemingly insufficient suitcase came along.  
The airport was filled to the brim and we struggled to get out, and hailing a taxi was even harder.  
"Where we off to?" The cabbie asked.  
"Um..." Leo thought for a moment. "Near Woodland freeway."  
"Can do!" The taxi moved out of the bay.  
"I'll hail the Knight Bus. Not the most comfortable way to travel, but it'll get us near Diagon."  
The driver gave us a strange look in the mirror and I smiled at him tiredly.  
I wonder when the jet lag will kick in.

The taxi disappeared into the distance and Leo knelt on the ground, unzipping his suitcase.  
"What are you doing?" I raised an eyebrow.  
He pulled out a stick and I stared at him, unimpressed. He caught my expression and rolled his eyes.  
"It's my wand, you twit. Twelve inches, hawthorn and dragon scale." He explained proudly, spinning it between his fingers before thrusting his hand out and leaping backwards.  
There was a loud _BANG_ echoed and a massive black bus screeched to a halt in front of us and the door slid open grumpily.  
"Welcome to the Knigh' Bus, the-" the bored and scruffy-looking conductor stopped and blinked at us.  
"Wotsis? Thatchu, Leo?"  
"The one and only. 'Ello Stan, Ernie." Leo grinned and Stan threw his head back, laughing.  
"Look a' vese two, Ern! Look who i' is! Who's da loovely lady, Leo?"  
Leo gently pushed me forwards and I smiled shyly. "This is my goddaughter, Aria. I'm taking her to Diagon." Leo chuckled and I spun around as I heard a weak screech.  
" _Aries_!" I cried. The exhausted bird tumbled to the ground a few meters away and I ran to him.  
"You stupid thing." I knelt down and cradled the large ball of feathers in my arms, scolding him.  
"Did 'e follow yous here or summin?" Stan called, dumbfounded.  
Leo answered for me as I stood back up, finding Aries surprisingly light. "All the way from Australia, apparently."  
Stan moved aside to let us on the bus.  
"Blimey! Izzat where you was hidin'? Wot about Victoria?"  
Leo's expression turned stony and Stan backed off hastily, showing us a free booth.  
The bus shot forwards, I yelped and almost faceplanted, and Leo burst out laughing while holding my shoulder to stop me from falling again.  
I stared at Leo as the bus squeezed between two houses, popping out the other side and I squeaked," officially my _least favourite way_ to travel!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Knuts are kind of like cents, Sickles are the gold coins and Galleons are note money. Well, that's what they're sort of equivalent to, anyway." Leo yawned. I nodded slowly, trying my best to wrap my head around the idea of Gringotts.  
"I think I get it." I flashed him a grin and Aries stirred on my lap. Leo looked down at the sleeping bird.  
"We can probably get a raptor glove from Eeylops or the Magical Menagerie in Diagon, too," he mused thoughtfully, " and we're definitely getting your wand from Ollivanders."  
The bus stopped and Stan called out to us."Aye, Leo, Aria. Vis is yor stop."  
Leo nodded thankfully and Stan almost pouted as we sidled past. "Leavin' so soon. Yous 'ave gotta come back a' some point, arncha?"  
"Course! See you round, Stan. Bye Ernie." Leo and I waved and the bus emitted an earsplitting _crack!_ and disappeared.  
Leo started to walk across the road and I followed hurriedly while lugging my suitcases, the cold air biting at any bare skin it could reach. Leo ducked behind the pub I hadn't noticed at first and waved for me to hurry up.  
"In case you hadn't noticed, my bag is heavier than yours _plus_ my guitar and you've only got one suitcase to take, so don't be so pushy." I snapped, my breath huffing in a wisp of white.  
"Sorry, love." Leo pulled out his wand and I put my bags down.  
"You brought that backpack, right?" He asked. I nodded. "Bring it out. I've got an idea."  
I stared at him for a second before kneeling down and fumbling with the zips. I pulled it out and Leo muttered something as I zipped the bigger bag shut again. I stepped back and watched as the bag started to shake, changing shape a few times and unzipping itself before falling still. I stood back with my hands on my hips, unimpressed. "And that accomplished...?"  
"Undetectable Extension Charm. I love them." He flicked his wrist and the other luggage levitated into the bag, the material pulsing and bulging for a minute before returning to its original shape.  
"Okie doke. All done. I shotgun not carrying it, by the way." He said and turned away.  
I growled and tentatively picked up the Pikachu bag and, surprised to find it weighing almost nothing, I slung it over my shoulder. Leo stared intently at the brick wall in front of him.  
"What are you do-" Leo cut me off with a rude _shh!_ and I clamped my mouth shut, still looking at the wall. After a few moments, he made a triumphant sound in the back of his throat and tapped a brick.  
I stared in amazement as the bricks split down the middle, rolling and moving away from each other to reveal an entirely new street behind it. People flooded the tarmac and shops lined each side of the street, bells ringing and loud chatter filling the air with the occasional shree of a Great Horned Owl or a yowling back alley cat screaming indignantly.  
"Holy crow." I breathed.  
"This," Leo grinned," is Diagon Alley. Where are we going first?"  
"Why are you asking me, you brought me here!"  
"Good point. Let's go to... the Magical Menagerie for that raptor glove for that bird of yours."  
Leo hooked his arm with mine and pulled me forwards into the bustling alley. "Lead the way." I said sarcastically.  
We sidled past the open door of a restaurant slash bar looking place and a beautiful smell reached me.  
"Woah." I hissed, sniffing the air and turning towards the door.  
"Where are you off to?" Leo asked, bewildered and amused as I tugged him through the sea of people and towards the heavenly scent.  
"Can't you smell that?" I questioned dreamily. Leo breathed deeply and nodded.  
"Faintly- hey!" I pulled him through the doorway, almost drooling.  
" _Leonardo_!" A thick Italian accent screeched loudly, distracting me for a moment.  
Leo twisted free of my grasp to return an enormous bear hug and I started to chase after the smell again until Leo caught the collar of my shirt. I hissed a cuss word at him, low enough that he couldn't hear me.  
"Nina!" He greeted warmly. The large woman cooed obsessively, gushing over my godfather. I whined in protest, still muttering.  
"Annie, this is Nina, Nina Botticelli. It's probably her Butterbeer you can smell. Nina, I believe you met Aria when she was barely starting to walk."  
This caught my attention long enough to look at this Nina, who scrutinized me for a moment.  
"Hah! I _remember_!" She gasped, grabbing my face and planting a kiss on my forehead like an overly enthusiastic aunt- leaving me blinking rapidly like a startled deer.  
"My, my, you're so _womanly_! How old are you now, fourteen? Fifteen? Ah nevermind, that doesn't matter! You like Butterbeer, do you bonbon?"  
My head reeled with the speed of her words and tried to catch up, realizing she'd asked me a question. "Um, I, no, I don't know, I've never had it but damn it smells like heaven and-" I paused to sniff the air," so do the caramel tarts and, and the gnocchi," I started to trot towards the smell, rattling off all the scents. " Gosh and the cinnamon donuts seem mouthwatering but not as much as the passionfruit pastries and the fresh bread but the finger buns _oh my gosh_."  
I stopped and realized that I'd wandered into the kitchen.  
"Wow!" I said dreamily, feeling like an over-dramatic anime character stumbling into an _Iwatobi Swim Club_ episode, surrounded my cute shirtless men. Except my men were food.  
 _That sounds so bad_. I mentally kicked myself.  
"I'm impressed." Snorted Leo from behind me and Nina laughed loudly. The cooks all stopped scurrying around, curiously looking at us. They reminded me of mice.  
"We have a new foodie to amaze! Choose your batch and set heaven free!" Nina threw her arms out and grinned.  
 _That is ridiculously dramatic_ , I thought,  
 _And I love it!_

"Leo." I groaned, slumping. "I can't move."  
Leo chuckled sadistically. "We've still got Ollivander to see, yet!"  
I'd ended up tasting everything in reach at the Botticelli Barstaurant after getting the raptor glove and anything else but a wand. Aries gave a low _shree_ that almost sounded like a laugh."Shut up, you." I glared at the gluttonous bird. "You gorged too!"  
The kite turned his head away from me, his claws digging sharply into the leather shoulder pad I'd bought .  
"Ungrateful ball of feathers." I muttered under my breath and he touched his head to my cheek, making me smile.  
"Stop being so soppy, you two, and walk faster!" Leo laughed from ahead.  
I jogged to catch up and Leo stopped in front of a small, cute store wedged between a bookstore and Zonko's.  
"In you go." Leo pushed me forwards.  
I swung the old door open and the small bell tinkled sweetly, the musky scent of dusty wood reaching me. The thing rays of afternoon sunlight bearing down on the floor lit up the dust motes my entrance had disturbed, making the tiny particles spin and dance slowly in the light before being lost to the shadows.  
I gazed around curiously. The walls were roof-high with shelves, and filled with what only looked like narrow shoe boxes.  
A wiry, wrinkled man sat at a large maplewood table in front of one of the shelves nearby us, a dirtied cloth in his hand as he polished a simple-looking wand, the empty box lying open beside him.  
"Good afternoon, you two. Long time, no see, Leonardo Simmons." The man smiled kindly and Leo strode happily towards him.  
"Too long, I say, Garrick! You've done me well with this wand and I;ve never thanked you enough. I even managed to pass Transfiguration with it. I brought my goddaughter - I wouldn't take her anywhere else for a wand.  
"Twelve inches yours was, and hawthorn. Dragon scale, correct?"  
"You never fail to amaze me, my dear man.." Leo smiled widely and brought me forwards. Aries stared apprehensively at the old man, who was staring intensely right back at us.  
"I feel this will be difficult."

"Look, maybe Dumbledore was wrong-"  
"Dumbledore wouldn't have bothered contacting you if he hadn't pursued your magical signature!" Leo snapped, cutting off my thought before I could finish voicing my worries.  
I cringed as a slug splattered to the wooden floor and handed the fourteenth wand back to Ollivander, haking my head.  
"I was right, this is proving a challenge."Ollivander mused in a murmur, adding the pale blue box to the growing pile. He looked uneasy as he spoke again.'  
"Every single wand is unique. Moreover, each wand, from the moment it finds its ideal owner, will begin to learn from and teach its human partner. The wand chooses the witch though it is sometimes unclear why.  
It seems I've only one more for you to try. It is an incredibly powerful wand, and refuses to pick its owner. I hope it is a match." With that, he disappeared into the dark aisle yet again and a few squeaks and scuffles burst from his ladder. Leo put his hand reassuringly on my shoulder, saying, "it's okay. Ollivander'll shine through."  
"I'm not so sure." I mumbled under my breath quietly.  
After a minute or two, Ollivander came back, holding a dusty silver wand case. Unlike the other cardboard wand-boxes, it was a thin, oval case. It reminded me of the case Leo put his reading glasses in, but twelve or thirteen inches bigger.  
The carefully-shaped case had tiny kite-shaped amethysts inlaid in another oval, almost making it look like the Eye of Hades, wizard-style.  
"This is ... an extremely ambitious wand. It respects power, but also creativity." Ollivander explained hesitantly, unlatching and flicking open the case. I reached forwards and gently lifted the wand out. It thrummed against my skin and seemed warm.  
"Twelve inches, maple wood dragon heartstring and Veela hair. It's the only Veela hair wand I've had here as they make for temperamental wands, and-" Ollivander stopped and stared.  
With a subtle flick of my wrist, stardust poured gently from the tip of the wand.  
"I think you've found your wand, Annie." Leo grinned.  
I looked closer at the apparently random grooves and realized they were intricately carved patterns of vines and miniscule flowers, joining in a wreath collected ar the top of the handle.  
I grinned, elated. "I think I have too."  
 _What a day_.


	9. Chapter 9

From the moment I cracked my eyes open, the sunlight streaming through the hotel window blinded me and I squeezed them shut again. Due to jet lag, I'd barely gotten three or four hours of sleep.

I rubbed my watery, sticky eyes and rolled off the bed, landing on wobbly feet as I stood up and stretched. A few bones cracked and I sighed in satisfaction.

Making my way to the bathroom - and hitting two walls on the way- I narrowly dodged the door frame and leant on the sink, cringing at the monster in the mirror.

Dark bags, signs of a restless night, hung like shadows under my eyes. My hair looked like a bright purple rats nest and sleep collected in the corners of my exhausted green eyes.

After attempting to clean myself up a little, I lazily threw on a black furry jumper and white skinny jeans, tugging the warm sleeves down and clutching the hems under the tips of my fingers as I shivered. Back home it was warm, but I'd forgotten that here it would be colder and hadn't packed warm enough.

My bad.

I pulled a cute grey beanie with black cat ears poking through the top over my hair, tilting it backwards and tugging it over my ears. I pulled on a pair of checkered fingerless gloves and my black Converse before heading towards Leo's room, desperately hoping that he was awake. I was starving.

I knocked lightly on the door, calling quietly and trying not to disturb the other lodgers.

"Leo? Are you up?"

I went to tap on the door again and it swung open, causing me to almost punch Leo in the head accidentally.

"I've been up for an hour, waiting for you." The dark-haired man pointed out.

"Shush. Can we go get breakfast? Aries and I are ravenous. I'm not sure what I want more- sleep or food."

"Well how about we eat, go to Gringotts, and then we can sleep some more because jet lag is killing me too." Leo yawned and I nodded.

"Sounds okay to me." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled.

As we wandered down the hall and down the stairs, I sniffed the air curiously.

Pancakes.

The familiar scent of good, hot food wafted past and I smiled, mentally bathing in the essence of maple syrup and hot bacon, with slightly burnt toast becoming prominent.

"Come on, Leo." I grabbed the stair banister and jogged lightly down the last few steps, spinning in a circle as I looked around curiously.

"Calm down, wild child, follow me." Leo chuckled and walked past me into a relatively small dining room, where a few other people sat at separate tables minding their own business and eating their own food.

Everything was wooden and looked to be quite old. A few oil paintings were scattered on the walls, mainly of countrysides and bustling streets. The dull gold frames led me to believe that they were fake.

Plenty of windows lined the walls and bathed the room in golden morning sunlight, the beams reaching across the floors and crawling up the opposite walls. A few of the dirty windows were open, a cold breeze blowing through and I breathed in the crisp air happily.

Leo headed towards a two-person table beside a closed window and I followed him, pulling out my chair and wincing as it scraped the wooden paneled floor. Leo rolled his eyes at me.

"That's it, keep rolling your eyes and maybe you'll find a brain back there." I mocked him with a smile, sitting down and picking up a battered-looking menu.

Leo didn't bother. "The pancakes here are pretty good, but nothing compares to the cinnamon toast." He ran his hand through his hair and I put the menu back down.

"Well I s'pose I better get that too, to go with my pancakes and bacon because hell it smells good in here." I laughed.

Not long after, a slightly-bored looking witch strode quickly towards us in a tight skirt and an apron that was a little too big for her short frame.

"What can I get you this morning?" She plastered a big smile on her face, her pen poised to write on the small notebook in her hand. She quickly took down our orders and rushed off again.

I was surprised at how quickly the food arrived and as I dug in, I looked up at Leo.

"So where's Gringotts and what are we doing there?" I asked.

"Gringotts is the dark bronze building near the Magical Menagerie. We're going to sort out a little of your vault and take out some money for you. Luckily for you, your parents were quite well off."

At the mention of Emma and Eugene North, I went into a thoughtful silence.

"Leo, can you tell me a little about my parents? I barely remember them now." I said quietly. Leo's expression softened a little and he ate the last of his toast, grasping his mug of tea tightly.

"Geez, where would I start?"

"Start... anywhere. As a wizard and witch. Anything." I shrugged.

"Your parents were... Wonderful people. Absolutely brilliant. Emma was beautiful and kind-hearted, and your laugh sounds just like hers did. Pretty and bubbly and full of life. Eugene; he was a little different. He was a fairly quiet kid in school. He always tried to stay in the shadows, but he always managed to get in some kind of trouble or do some extraordinarily difficult spell.

Prongs and I always figured they'd get together. But that was a long time ago. When they had you, they were so happy. Eugene always wanted a baby girl, and even though Emma hoped for a boy, she couldn't be happier. You look just like her when you smile sometimes, but you've still got your father's troublemaking traits." Leo trailed off and I nodded, processing.

"Who's Prongs?" I furrowed my eyebrows and Leo gave a short laugh.

"Another story for another time, I say. " He waved and the same girl from before came over with the bill. Leo quickly payed and we stood up, heading back out to the hall and into the street.

"We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Cash." I sang lightly and Leo elbowed me, laughing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**  
 **Does anyone actually read Author's Notes? But yea. Two updates in like forty minutes. Yay for insomnia, ammIRite?**

For such a narrow building, there was a heck of a lot crammed into it.  
Goblins were the grumpiest, crabbiest, most detestable creatures as I learnt the hard way. Never start an argument with a goblin.  
"Okay, that went well." Leo mumbled as he steered me away, drawing out the _o._ The scowling creature stomped towards one of the carts on an almost roller coaster type set up that didn't look entirely safe.  
Leo helped me in and got in himself, the goblin tapping his foot impatiently.  
"Knock it off, Wurnok." Leo drawled and the goblin shot him a dirty look as the cart started moving.  
I shrank a little lower in the rickety iron box as it gathered speed, and indeed it began to move like a mild roller coaster at insane speeds. I clamped my lips together and held onto Leo like my life depended on it until the cart screeched to a stop.  
Wurnok lumbered out of the iron cart and we followed close behind as he turned the key over and stuck it in the lock, wrenching it sideways. A series of large clinks and rusty squeals echoed from the massive door and when they stopped, Leo spun the bronze wheel clockwise and the door opened slowly.  
 _Oh my god._ I nearly had a cardiac arrest at how messy it was.  
As strange as it may seem, I was a bit of a clean freak. Far too clean for a teenaged girl.  
"This is is ridiculous." I mumbled, staring at the piles of Galleons, Knuts and inane amounts of Sickles.  
"How much are you taking out?" Wurnok grunted.

I reached up and fixed my beanie and hair as the cart stopped, dumping us back on the original platform. Wurnok snatched the key from Leo and waddled off, grumbling and snarling to himself.

"Someone shoved a star post up his butt this morning." I muttered, glaring after the hunched figure.  
All of a sudden, I heard a girl's voice shout my name.  
"Aria? Aria! Annie!" I turned around and saw a girl of my age racing towards em, dodging goblins and other wizards as she apologized profusely and stopped in front of me. I envelopes her in a massive hug.  
"Hermione! God it's good to see you!" I laughed. She pulled back excitedly and brushed a lock of curly hair behind her ear.  
"I didn't think I'd find you here! Oh, Ron and Mr Weasley are here too, you've got to meet them! Good morning, Mr Simmons." She smiled politely at Leo and said man laughed.  
"Off you go, Annie. I'll meet you out the front." With that, he walked away with his hands in his pockets.  
Hermione grabbed my hand and she pulled me away from the cart, dancing through the thin crowd of people.  
"Ron! Ron!" She called. Two redheaded figures turned towards us and we reached them quickly.  
Hermione gasped for breath.  
"Hermione, are you all right?" Ron raised an eyebrow and then spotted me. "Who're you?"  
"Way to be polite, Ronald. What hVe I told you about that?" Hermione scolded." This is Aria, the one I've been writing to?"  
"Heh, sorry." Ron gave a short, sheepish laugh and stuck his hand out." Ron Weasley. 'Mione never shuts up about you."  
I laughed and shook it. "Good things only, I hope. Aria North, nice to meet you."  
The taller man, who I assume is Ron's father, stepped forwards with a massive smile on his face.  
"Arthur Weasley, and it's a _pleasure_ to meet you! I've heard so much about you from Hermione here!" He shook my hand vigorously and Ron elbowed him.  
"Don't scare her off, Dad." He muttered from the side of his mouth.  
"Ah, of course. Sorry about that. I'm just _so_ interested in the Muggle side of things." His grin didn't fade at all.  
Hermione turned to me, her expression one of delight. "I've been wanting to meet you for _so long_ , I just-" she cut herself off and laughed lightly. I silently giggled over her voice in my head- it was so cute.  
Anyway.  
After a while, I politely excused myself. "Leo will be waiting for me. I can't wait to see you again though!" I hugged the two of them and shook Me Weasley's hand again. "It was great meeting you all but I'm sorry for dashing off." I smiled sheepishly and waved, rushing off to find Leo afterwards.  
I wandered out of the front doors and there he was, leaning against the wall.  
"Leo!" I sang, making him jump with surprise.  
"You startled me. Who were they?"  
"That was Hermione, the Gryffindor I've been writing to. And Ron and Arthur Weasley, too." I grinned.  
"Arthur? I haven't seen him for years. How is he?"  
"Oh, if I had known you knew him, I would've said he was 's good- very excitable over the aspect of Muggles, however." I chuckled and Leo smiled.  
"He was always a bit like that. Well, are you still tired because we have a full day of sleep ahead of us?"  
"Duh! Man oh man, let's go." I whined.

 **a̫/n̫**  
 **So I tried to drag this out for as long as possible buf I can't because it's 1:50am on a Saturday and I have a scout meeting tomorrow and I'm running out of creativity. I promise the next chapter will have a certain blond in it, and will contain trains and goodbyes :33**  
 **Bye bye for now- reviews are great, by the way. Just saying.**  
 **Love youuuu~**


	11. Chapter 11

I grunted slightly as I pushed the heavy trolley forwards glancing at Leo nervously.  
"So... You expect me just to run through a brick wall?" I adjusted my leather jacket, my combat boots catching in the trolley wheels.  
"Pretty much." Leo shrugged noncomittedly, apparently not at all disgruntled by my obvious discomfort.  
"Hey, Aria!"  
I turned around at the sound of my name and spotted a vaguely familiar head of ginger hair.  
I smiled and fled to Ron's side. "Do we really have to go through a wall?" I asked nervously and he laughed.  
"Yep."  
I tensed as two bodies appeared either side of me, an arm slung over my shoulders and someone leaning on my back.  
Before they got a word out, I latched onto the arm over my shoulders and heaved, pulling the person over my back and flinging them onto the ground in front of me. He wheezed and gasped as I tugged his arm upwards, my foot planted on his chest.  
Ron burst out laughing and I cringed, hurriedly jumping backwards and helping the redhead up.  
"Sorry, sorry! Just, uh, a reflex." I apologized profusely and turned to the other boy, who looked exactly the same. I looked between the two in confusion.  
The one that I hadn't floored spoke up, grinning madly and chortling. "Damn, Freddie, smooth!"  
'Freddie' scowled. "Shut up, George."  
I stared at Ron, waiting for an elaboration of some sort. He didn't catch on until Hermione appeared behind him.  
"Hiya, Aria! This is Fred and George Weasley, Ron's older brothers. Apart from Bill, Charlie and Percy, of course." A small ginger-haired girl came up behind Hermione, smiling shyly.  
"I'm Ginny. I'm the youngest."  
I blinked rapidly. "Stop confusing the poor girl, you lot." Leo chuckled from behind me and I smiled sheepishly at Fred, who was rubbing the back of his head. George was still teasing him and Ron shook his head with bemusement.  
"Where'd you learn that, anyway?" Fred spoke up. I shrugged.  
"I used to take self defense lessons. Um, sorry about flooring you. I didn't mean it." I smiled sheepishly and I felt Leo move away from behind me.  
"Arthur! Molly!" He exclaimed, turning towards two more redheads.  
 _Oh my god, how many are there?_ Was my first thought.  
My second was _holy crow that was so mean oops_.  
"So who's who?" I raised an eyebrow at the twins, who grinned at each other. I'd heard a lot about the two troublemakers from the little complaints Hermione made in some of our many letters.  
"I'm Gred, and he's Forge." The one Standing to the left of my spoke up first.  
"No, I'm Gred and _I'm_ Forge." The other argued and I rolled my eyes, looking to Ron for help.  
"That one's Fred and the other one is George." He explained after being elbowed by Hermione.  
"I'm the hot one." Fred smirked.  
"Hmm. I recall George saying that he was Gred and you were Forge, but you objected and switched it around therefore George is the hot one." I retaliated, my hands on my waist as I jutted my hips out to one side. Ron, George and Ginny sniggered at Fred's bewildered and offended expression.  
"I like this one!" George declared. Leo shot him down with a deadly glare, introducing me to Molly.  
"Ooh, she's very pretty. Nice to meet you, dear." The short, dumpy woman enveloped me into a hug and I felt my face warn slightly at the compliment.  
Hermione chewed her lip after Mrs Weasley stopped fussing over me.  
"We should hurry. We still have to snag an empty carriage." She shifted her handbag on her shoulder and I silently questioned her lack of luggage. The group started hurrying down the train station lane, the screeches of train wheels assaulting my ears.  
"Are we following?"  
Leo nodded and we rushed after them, Leo taking charge of my trolley. We stopped in between platforms Nine and Ten.  
"Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Behind that wall is the Hogwarts Express." Leo explained, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly as my stomach twisted nervously  
 _Digest those butterflies_ I told my self. _Digest them!_  
Molly shuffled around bossily. " Alright, Fred and Ginny first, George you go behind them. Off you go!" The twins grinned and the three grabbed their trolleys, running straight at the wall. I held back a squeak as they passed straight through it.  
 _"_ Ron and Hermione, you next."  
 _" '_ Mione, can you wait for me on the other side please?" I called out hesitantly. She smiled and nodded before disappearing to join the other three Weasleys.  
Molly and Arthur waved encouragingly and Leo guided me towards the wall. I took a deep breath and ran, jumping onto the rung of the trolley at the last moment.  
It was blurry and grey around me for a moment, almost like passing through fog, and then I burst out onto the other side.  
I grinned and Hermione stopped my trolley from rolling forwards, Leo stepping up beside me.  
Parents and students rushed around everywhere, all heading in the same general direction and each hauling trunks or bags of luggage. I gazed in awe at the dark red Express, smoke puffing out of it as it started up, the engine rumbling loudly.  
Aries screeched from his cage and I blinked, turning my attention back to my friends.  
We stood in front of the train and I turned to Leo, whose face was beaming with pride.  
"You know how much I hate goodbyes so lets get this over with." I muttered and leapt into his embrace.  
"Whatever you do, do _not_ make this a chick flick moment." He mumbled into my hair and I let out a strangled, strange-sounding sob, but I refused to cry. Aria Norths don't cry.  
"I'll miss you. I'll write." I promised quietly.  
"You better. Now hurry up and get on the blasted train." He chuckled dryly and I did as he said.  
I found Hermione and the Weasleys just as the train started to move away, and Leo and I didn't break eye contact until he was out of sight.  
Thats when i realized there was an extra two people in the compartment.  
"Hiya." I said awkwardly, looking to Hermione desperately.  
"Aria, this is Harry Potter and Loony- Luna Lovegood. Guys, this is my friend Aria North."  
Harry flattened his fringe and Luna smiled dreamily at me. I waved awkwardly.  
"I'm sorry, I'm not the best at social- I mean I'm not too- ugh. Hi, nice to meet you." I trailed off into a grumble.  
Harry was still glancing at me warily but greeted me all the same. I rolled my eyes.  
"Chill, I'm not going to fangirl over you. You're just a guy." I shrugged. He looked relieved and relaxed.  
"Boy oh boy, am I glad. Hey- is he yours?"  
He was staring at Aries, who was staring straight back through the bars of his cage.  
"Yep- this is Aries. Aries, Harry." I waved a hand at the dark- haired boy and Aries dipped his head.  
"Remind you of anything, Harry?" Hermione smiled and Harry laughed.  
"Only Malfoy's shrieks. ' _It got me! I'm dying! I'm going to die!"_ Ron started to laugh as well and I raised an eyebrow.  
"What exactly happened with a Malfoy?"  
Harry was quick to explain. "In my second year, Hagrid introduced us to his Hippogriff and Malfoy was rude to it, so it ripped open his arm. He was very dramatic about it." He chuckled, shaking his head.  
"Sounds painful." I murmured.  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You're not sympathizing him, are you?"  
Hermione butted in before I could make a rude remark.  
"He was the other pen pal of hers. They're friends." Harry stared at me with a new light- or shadow- before turning back to the window. The air grew a little colder and I suddenly heard someone calling about food.  
Ron looked just as excited as I felt and wrenched open the door, revealing an older lady pushing a cart laden with sweets and cakes I'd never seen before.  
Harry and Ron both leapt to get things while Hermione held a little more restraint, and Luna stayed where she was with her magazine.  
"Would you like anything, Aria?" Hermione asked.  
"I've, uh, never had any of it before." I answered truthfully. The three automatically began picking off things they thought I might like and refused to let me pay.  
After trying a few strange things, I flipped my Dumbledore card over and read the blurb again, my eyes growing drowsy. Eventually the other's conversations died down and my head fell against the window.  
I watched the scenery flash past for a while before my eyes fell shut and I slept to the sound of the train moving beneath me.


End file.
